March 26 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the U.S. military's most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The weapons that could be redirected include air defense interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which partner countries buy U.S. arms for Kyiv, the report said.
The consideration comes as U.S. operations in the region intensify. Admiral Brad Cooper, the Central Command chief leading U.S. forces in the Middle East, on Wednesday said the U.S. had hit over 10,000 targets inside Iran and was on track to limit Iran's ability to project power outside its borders.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the newspaper that the Defense Department would "ensure that U.S. forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win."
The Pentagon, the U.S. State Department and NATO did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
(Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru, Editing by Louise Heavens and Ros Russell)
